The United States’ latest addition of more than 40 Chinese entities to a so-called “forced-labor” blacklist amounts to economic coercion dressed up as law enforcement, officials and experts said, warning that such unilateral sanctions risk destabilizing global industrial and supply chains.
Coming just one day after lead economic and trade officials from both sides held talks on stabilizing bilateral ties, the move — the largest single expansion of the list — can only heighten tensions between the world’s two largest economies, they added.
“The US action is groundless, as Washington has continued to use so-called ‘human rights’ and ‘forced labor’ as pretexts for arbitrarily imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies under its domestic laws,” a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday the addition of 43 Chinese companies to the entity list under the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The law, which took effect in June 2022, effectively bars goods linked to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region from entering the US market, in the name of combating so-called “forced labor”.
Spanning industries from metals and electronics to apparel, cotton and food processing, the newly listed companies include capacitor manufacturer Hunan Aihua Group, snack food producer ChaCha Food and cotton supplier and processor Henan Tongzhou Cotton Industry Co, according to a US government notice.
The additions will take effect on Monday, raising the total number of listed entities from 144 to 187, a 30 percent increase, the US department said.
“The move is a typical act of economic coercion and seriously infringes upon the legitimate rights and interests of the companies concerned,” the Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson added.
Notably, the latest restrictions were announced just a day after Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng held a video call on Thursday evening with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, during which the two sides had what were described as “candid, in-depth and constructive” discussions on maintaining stable bilateral economic and trade relations.
“Just one day later, the US introduced such egregious measures that harm China’s interests, seriously deviating from the consensus reached by the two heads of state,” the spokesperson said.
Wu Xinbo, dean and professor of Fudan University’s Institute of International Studies, said China and the US need sustained, wide-ranging negotiations to manage differences and address outstanding issues amid an increasingly complex global environment.
Ongoing economic and trade dialogue is helping Washington gain a clearer understanding of Beijing’s positions, he said, adding that China’s policy responses have also, to some extent, reshaped Washington’s approach toward Beijing.
“Such sustained engagement is more consistent with what is needed to build a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability,” Wu added.
The spokesperson reiterated that China has consistently opposed forced labor and said there is no such thing as so-called “forced labor” in Xinjiang, adding that the region enjoys social harmony and stability, sustained economic development and rising living standards.
The China Cotton Association said in a statement on Sunday that machine-picked cotton now accounts for more than 90 percent of Xinjiang’s output, and that the entire chain, from planting to textile production, is highly automated. Cotton farmers and industry workers are protected by Chinese law and are free to choose their jobs, it said.
“China’s cotton industry has the confidence and capacity to withstand US pressure,” the association said, citing the country’s complete industrial chain, vast domestic market and increasingly diversified overseas markets.
China urged the US to immediately stop attacking and smearing Xinjiang, stop exploiting the so-called “forced labor” issue, and stop Washington’s unwarranted suppression of Chinese companies, according to the spokesperson.
“China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” the spokesperson added.
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